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“Twilight falls.”

The sun, perched by the window, scrapes the edge of the sky. A dim half-moon hangs hauntingly in the eastern sky, while a cluster of stars twinkles like it’s just woken up from a nap, pinned against the deep blue canvas above.

Lucia, who had been fiddling with her quill, suddenly narrowed her eyes.

The sunlight filtering through the glass shattered like waves crashing onto a sandy shore, and the weak light reflecting off a half-empty ink bottle tickled Lucia’s gaze.

Having been transcribing scripture from dawn until now, watching the sun dip behind the horizon made her rest her chin in her hand while gripping the quill.

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Episode 12 – The Most Powerful Magician in History

The past three years spent in the northern regions were quite special.

After losing her parents, Lucia received Cardinal Raul’s assistance and successfully completed her ordination, being assigned to her first area.

Three New Year’s celebrations and three major feast days. The smaller holidays and commemorative days were countless.

Those three years elevated her fledgling healing arts to a much higher level, transformed a young pilgrim into a priest, and were more than enough time for a girl, who could do nothing without others’ help, to become a saint.

There were numerous toilsome days, and sometimes things she would never want to experience again, yet Lucia never turned away from, nor denied, the three years spent in the north.

However,

When asked, “Can you confidently say you’ve become a saint?” Lucia found it hard to answer.

“……”

Though everyone called her a saint, she felt she was far from being one.

She could have risen to the rank of a saint but instead chose to turn away from it, unlike the High Priest who roamed the world, and she fell significantly short compared to her sister who received revelations, heard the voice of angels, and wielded the powers of the Holy Spirit.

So, was she an adult? If asked, that wasn’t quite right either.

Although legally she was of age, Lucia never saw herself as an adult.

The trigger was the battle in the underground waterway this morning.

While other priests might praise her for the grand achievement, the fact remained unchanged—she had lost. In the end, she faced defeat there and was pushed to the brink of death.

She had even almost taken along an innocent man who wasn’t a priest as her companion.

It could be a lack of ability or will, or perhaps just incredibly bad luck, but Lucia regarded all of it as her own mistake. Ultimately, she entered a period of self-imposed penance.

Regardless of the circumstances, the fact that she had made a mistake remained unchanged. The fact that she had put others at risk was no different.

In her own judgment, she was just someone who could hardly take care of herself, let alone others.

As that thought crossed her mind, another idea naturally arose in Lucia’s mind while she gazed at the sunset outside.

No matter how hard she thought, she wasn’t cut out to be a saint.

“……”

Though she didn’t speak it aloud, aware of those around her, she had always felt that way.

She was dutifully following the life given to her, had a sense of mission as a priest before being a saint, but she was not someone capable of taking responsibility for herself.

And a person who cannot care for themselves should never ascend to a position where they are responsible for others.

A person who cannot bear their own destiny cannot shoulder the fates of others. Someone with no capacity to look after themselves lacks both the ability and the right to take on the responsibilities of others.

From that perspective, she, too, lacked the qualifications to ascend to the saintly position, as she had foolishly fallen into the curse of a necromancer, immersing herself in danger and dragging innocent colleagues into peril as well.

So what should she do?

Lucia was lost in thought.

If she rejected the position of saint, there would surely be a huge uproar both outside and within.

There had often been cases where flaws were revealed during evaluations or instances where someone refused to become a saint, leading to canonical cancellations, but there had never been a case in history where someone suddenly rejected the position right before the canonization ceremony.

The political standing of the bishop and cardinal supporting her would undoubtedly become complicated. Despite being someone disconnected from politics, she wasn’t dull enough to overlook that.

Her sister, Veronica, would surely be troubled as well. Given that she always acted as if she would never let Lucia out of her embrace, she would certainly be worried about such a sudden decision.

Her colleagues would likely feel the same.

And that person who believed in her and followed her would, too.

“……”

Burdened by worries rolling in like waves crashing onto the shore, Lucia sat quietly at her desk, unable to even look directly at the sunset tickling her face.

She simply could not.

– Knock, knock.

Lucia came to her senses around the time the sun was half-dipped below the horizon.

Startled by the sudden knock, she set down her quill temporarily and rose from her seat. She had to greet the guest arriving at such a late hour, leaving no time to tidy up her desk.

Striding to the door, Lucia cleared her throat briefly and, placing her hand on the doorknob, asked,

“Who is it?”

“It’s me.”

The moment she heard the answer from beyond the door, Lucia felt her shoulders stiffen.

It seemed it wasn’t just her shoulders that froze. Caught off guard by the unexpected voice, Lucia momentarily had no thoughts at all.

Her senses returned when a somewhat puzzled voice emerged from beyond the door.

“Could you open the door for me?”

Realizing she had been dazed, Lucia hurriedly unlatched the lock. Cautiously, ever so slowly, she opened the door.

As the door cracked open, revealing a figure, and when it was finally wide enough for their eyes to meet, a small gasp escaped Lucia’s lips.

“Oh….”

To be honest, it was a thought that came a bit late, but that expression she had made at that moment—it surely looked a tad foolish.

—

Still holding onto the doorknob and standing there with a blank expression, Lucia welcomed the visitor.

“Uh, welcome.”

“It’s been a while, Saint. Since we saw each other this morning, saying ‘it’s been a while’ feels a bit strange, doesn’t it?”

“No need to be so formal… It’s just us here right now.”

She said not to stand on ceremony and to feel comfortable around her.

If the person who said that were a bishop or a cardinal, she would’ve just mumbled a thank you while secretly rolling her eyes at the old geezer, but regrettably, the speaker was none other than Lucia herself.

From what I know, Lucia is not someone who puts on airs.

She isn’t a person like Veronica or Francesca, who seem to carry a host of snakes in their bellies.

The likelihood is high that her request not to stand on ceremony is genuine.

“If that’s how you feel, then as you wish. Have you had dinner?”

“Not yet.”

“I brought you a meal. Please eat it before it gets cold.”

I entered Lucia’s room while holding a tray.

Saint Basil’s Cathedral is a grand structure boasting a long history, and there was a separate building with a dining hall and dormitory prepared for priests and monks.

According to Veronica, it has been expanded in various ways over hundreds of years.

To think they erected splendid marble buildings funded by donations collected from the north—it’s incredible how skilled the cult is at managing finances.

For reference, Veronica occupies the best room here. In contrast, the room Lucia stays in is much smaller and far less impressive compared to Veronica’s.

A single bed. One personal desk. A drawer and a chair, each only one.

That’s it. Truly nothing else.

“The food should go on this desk… Oh, there’s no empty space.”

As I was about to place the meal on the desk where I could see it, I stopped my hand upon noticing it was filled with papers.

“Ah, please give it here. I’ll set it down.”

Lucia extended her hand, asking for the food. She pulled out a slightly empty chair and set the bowl on it.

Uncertain of what the papers were, I inadvertently glanced at the densely written words and discovered the papers were verses from the scriptures.

“Were you transcribing?”

“Yes. Just… did a bit of transcription.”

Bending down to place the food on the chair, Lucia pushed her hair behind her ear, trailing off her words.

For saying she just did it for a moment, there were quite a lot of papers. It wasn’t much different from the amount of documents I process at work every day.

I spoke toward Lucia, who was standing awkwardly in position.

“You have no talent for telling lies, Saint.”

“…Huh?”

Upon hearing the absent-minded response, I turned around and chuckled softly.

“You’re really bad at lying. I know you’ve been under penance since morning, so how could this be just a bit of transcription? Am I right?”

“…….”

Perhaps caught off guard by an unexpected rebuttal, Lucia was left speechless. Her eyes widened, and her lips trembled as she held onto the fabric covering her thighs, her head bowed low.

She seemed embarrassed that her lie had been caught.

After closing the cap on the ink bottle to prevent it from drying out, I playfully asked Lucia, who was still bowed down.

“Was being under penance fun?”

Her voice, barely audible under the veil of her hair, emerged timidly.

“…It’s not meant to be fun.”

“Of course not. But a punishment is a punishment, and a meal is a meal, right? Don’t just stand there, sit quickly.”

Lucia’s head bobbed slightly up and down. It looked as though she was nodding. Judging by her flushed ears, she seemed too shy to even speak properly.

Finally managing to raise her head…

Lucia began to search for a place to sit for her meal. But there just wasn’t a suitable spot.

A thick, heavy Bible and hundreds of papers completely occupied the table, and there were no conference tables or small tables typically found in hotel rooms. It was a bit cramped, but apart from the chairs, there was no place to put the food.

In the end, Lucia decided to place her food on the chair, feeling like a loner eating in the bathroom. The floor was dirty, so she perched on the bed instead.

It was an ironic situation where the chair became the desk and the bed became the chair, but at that moment, Lucia wasn’t calm enough to think about such things.

She hesitated, glancing at me with her meal in front of her, like a child being scolded by their parents.

“…….”

“Aren’t you going to eat?”

“…I will. But.”

“…?”

I paused for a moment, wondering if she had something to say, but there was no response.

Lucia, who was stealing glances at me, fell silent for a while.

She seemed to fix her gaze on the floor, deep in thought, then took a small breath and opened her mouth.

“Do you happen to have somewhere to go right now?”

“I have no other plans for today.”

“Then please sit next to me. Your legs must be hurting.”

She patted the space beside her. My heart felt grateful, but the fact that she pointed to the bed made me feel a bit awkward.

I followed Lucia’s request and sat beside her. The bed creaked slightly under our weight, but fortunately, it wasn’t a big issue.

“Make yourself comfortable. Don’t mind me.”

“…Understood.”

Lucia clasped her hands together and closed her eyes, offering a prayer before the meal. A small, concise prayer was uttered.

After finishing her prayer, Lucia opened her eyes and picked up a spoon in one hand.

I thought she was about to eat, but she just sat there, staring at her bowl.

“…….”

“…Saint?”

Aren’t you going to eat?

Just as I was about to ask that, Lucia put down her spoon and carefully pushed the chair forward.

Then she said she didn’t have an appetite and wouldn’t eat.

“I’m not hungry right now. I’m sorry for troubling you by coming all this way.”

“No, that’s….”

What can I say if she isn’t hungry?

“Please eat if you feel like it later.”

I nodded lightly without adding much else.

With her dinner untouched, Lucia sat with her hands neatly clasped on her lap, staring at the floor, and I kept watching her profile.

“It seems you have something on your mind.”

“…”

Although she didn’t move at all with her gaze fixed on the floor, I noticed her head subtly nodding.

Lucia’s lips parted slightly.

“Just a little.”

“It seems to be related to today’s work.”

“Yes….”

“Would you like to share it with me?”

“…”

Lucia’s gaze shifted from the floor to me. Turning her head to look at me, she sighed softly and began to spill her worries.

Lucia said, “I don’t know if what I did was right. No, I don’t know if I’m doing it right.”

Her concerns weren’t trivial. Since early morning, or rather, since last night until this morning, she had been keeping everything that had happened inside her heart.

The priest said, “I failed to suppress the demon’s temptation and lost control of my emotions. Because of that, the Grand Exorcism failed, and we are all in danger. It was my mistake.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Yes.”

The saint answered, her tone firm.

She wasn’t looking at me but rather at the floor. Despite her firm voice, there was a hint of uncertainty in her eyes.

“It was undeniably my fault. Beyond the failure of the Grand Exorcism, I not only fell into a trap but also dragged you into this.”

“Just call me casually.”

“…Understood. If you wish, I will call you that.”

For a while thereafter, Lucia continued to enumerate her mistakes.

Not being able to suppress the demon quickly, failing the Grand Exorcism, being neutralized by the necromancer, not noticing the trap, failing to bring the pendant that could identify the spirit, dragging me into this, and so on.

Some of these weren’t just her faults; they were my mistakes too, but Lucia considered those as her own oversights as well.

“It was all my negligence. I’m sorry.”

Lucia’s head drooped.

“To be honest, I now doubt whether I truly qualify to be a saint.”

She even said she felt unqualified to be a saint.

If, among our group, you asked who the second most positive person was after Camila, I could confidently say it was Lucia. But right in front of me, Lucia was not at all the positive person I knew.

Her usual image was nowhere to be found, and she acted as if she were being chased by something, like a shut-in who wakes up late in the afternoon and hides in a dark corner, drinking soju.

I sighed softly and cautiously opened my mouth.

“There’s no need to think that much.”

“No. No matter how I think about it….”

“You just said you aren’t perfect.”

“Yes…?”

“Humans aren’t created perfectly, right? Didn’t you tell me that last time? That God made humans imperfect?”

Lucia, who was staring at the floor, lifted her head.

I met her gaze. A pair of wide blue eyes stared at me.

“Didn’t you say that God made humans imperfect?”

“Yes… that’s correct.”

“Even the popes, who are said to be God’s representatives, have many flaws. Even those who are the most distinguished among priests just sit there with their empty heads while complaining, so why are you so downcast?”

“……”

“Everyone makes mistakes in their lives at least once. Those great figures who left their names in history weren’t great from the start, were they? They too were fed by their mothers and drew maps on blankets, just like me.”

Lucia looked at me in silence, and I added casually.

“So don’t talk like that.”

“……”

“In this world, if you, Lucia, don’t take the saint’s place, who will?”

At the very least, Lucia seemed better suited to being a saint than Veronica, who spends every day skipping work to smoke at cafes or gets caught in gambling dens. What couldn’t Lucia do?

“If it really gets too tough, just pass it to someone else.”

“Are you saying I should pass the position of saint to someone else?”

“If you could.”

“Who should I pass it to…?”

“Um, I don’t know….”

I scratched my head and blurted out something random.

“How about a guy who suddenly turns into a girl after removing his testicles?”

“…Does such a person exist in the world?”

“Beats me. But if you look around, there must be at least one, right?”

A small smile crept onto Lucia’s lips. She looked like she found it ridiculous and smiled.

As her smile faded, she turned her gaze back to the floor. The sunset light filtering through the window painted her cheeks and ears in crimson.

Her golden hair, as if melted from gold, and her eyes filled with tears. The blush on her cheeks and ears.

Under the pouring sunset, Lucia, seemingly lost in thought, was as beautiful as a watercolor painting.

“I was just joking. Please don’t take it too seriously.”

“…Yes.”

“Do you feel a bit better now?”

“Thanks to you, a little.”

I did feel a bit better.

In the room where the sunset had settled, we sat silently on the bed and stared at the fading light.

It was a few minutes later that I noticed the existence of another hand resting on top of mine.

*

In the room where the sunset had settled.

With the glowing orange sunset as a backdrop, a priest reading documents lifted his head.

The sun was setting.

“……”

The priest’s gaze fell upon the clock. The hour hand was galloping toward dusk, following the setting sun.

“I didn’t realize time had passed like this.”

The priest put down the fountain pen and stretched his arms in his seat.

A huge shadow danced as the light of the sunset streamed in through the window. As he twisted his waist gently, a round shadow around his chest rapidly filled the room with darkness.

“Ugh… my shoulders.”

Veronica patted her shoulder with her clenched fist.

Carrying a heavy weight every day, her shoulders had been tense for more than just a day or two. No matter how meticulous she was with her health (after running all night, she’d just pray once the following morning to flush it out), there was no remedy for shoulder pain.

“……”

After lightly easing her shoulders, Veronica glanced at the closed door.

The door remained shut and showed no sign of opening. She had been told to stay in her room until sunset, and seeing that they still hadn’t returned made her think all sorts of things.

“Hmmm. Where on earth could that person be….”

Veronica, having closed the cap of her fountain pen to prevent the ink from drying, stepped out of the room searching for someone.

 

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